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2009 Four Wheeler Of The Year - 2009 4x4 SUV Test

Five New Suvs Take It To The Trail

By Sean P. Holman, Photography by Greg P. Smith, Ken Brubaker
GENERAL
Vehicle/model '09 Kia Borrego EX '09 Lexus LX 570 '09 Nissan Xterra Off-Road '09 Suzuki Grand Vitara XSport '09 Toyota Sequoia Platinum
STEERING
Type Power rack-and-pinion Variable ratio, power rack-and-pinion Power rack-and-pinion Power rack-and-pinion Variable Flow Control power rack-and-pinion
Turns (lock-to-lock) 3.5 Variable, 2.4 to 3.4 3.54 2.7 3.71
Ratio 17.97:1 16.6 to 20.7:1 20.4:1 14.0:1 17:3:1
BRAKES
Front 12.9-in. vented disc, dual-piston calipers 13.4 x 1.26-in.vented disc, four-piston calipers 11.65 x 1.1-in. vented disc, dual-piston calipers 11.6-in. vented disc, single-piston calipers 13.9-in. vented disc, four-piston calipers
Rear 12.8-in. solid discs, single-piston calipers 13.6 x 0.71-in. vented disc, single-piston calipers 11.3 x 0.71-in. vented disc, single-piston calipers 12.1-in. vented disc, single-piston calipers 13.6-in. vented disc, single-piston calipers
ABS Four-wheel Four-wheel Four-wheel Four-wheel Four-wheel
WHEELS/TIRES
Wheels (in) 18x7.5 20x8.5 chrome 16x7 18x7 20x7.5
Tires P265/60R18 Hankook Radial RA07 P285/50R20 Michelin Latitude Tour HP P265/75R16 BFGoodrich Rugged Trail T/A P225/60R18 Dunlop AT20 Grandtrek P275/55R20 Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenza
FUEL ECONOMY
EPA city/highway 15/20 12/18 17/22 15/21 13/18
Observed city/highway/trail 14.73 12.7 14.84 17.96 13.61
DIMENSIONS/CAPACITIES
Weight (lb) 4,621 5,995 4,402 3,876 6,000
Wheelbase (in) 114.0 112.2 106.3 103.9 122.0
Overall length (in) 192.1 196.5 178.7 177.1 205.1
Overall width (in) 75.4 77.6 72.8 71.3 79.9
Height (in) 71.3 75.6 74.9 66.7 77.0
Track f/r (in) 63.6/64.0 64.6/64.4 61.8/61.8 60.6/61.4 67.9./69.1
Minimum ground clearance (in) 8.5 8.9 9.5 7.9 9.6
Turning diameter, curb-to-curb (ft) 36.48 38.7 37.3 36.7 39.0
Approach/departure angles (deg) 27.3/22.5 29.0/20.0 "Normal" setting, 31.0/23.0 "High" setting 33.2/29.4 29/27 27/21
Breakover angle (deg) n/a 23.0 "Normal" setting, 27.0 "High" setting 23.9 19 n/a
GVWR (lb) 6173 7,275 5,400 4,784 7,300
Payload (lb) 1,264-1,552 1,270 1,046 871 1,235
Maximum towing capacity (lb) 7,500 8,500 5,000 3,000 8,800
Seating 7 8 5 5 8
Fuel capacity (gal) 20.6 24.6 21.1 17.4 26.4
PERFORMANCE
0-60 mph (sec) 7.75 7.14 8.02 9.40 7.56
Quarter-mile (sec @ mph) 15.97 @ 86.32 15.42 @ 89.29 16.11 @ 85.10 16.95 @ 80.22 15.74 @ 89.76
Braking 60-0 mph (ft) 133.29 137.5 141.67 138.42 145.39
Ramp Travel Index 316 538 486 374 400
By Sean P. Holman
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